Patunasankus lifted her gaze slightly, staring at the girl with a hint of bewilderment, confusion making her blue eyes even brighter.
Wait, what was going on here?
After a moment of confusion, Patunasankus immediately realized the situation.
—She, "Black Death" Patunasankus, one of the legendary disaster-class evil dragons, the Black Dragon Overlord who ruled over this territory, was now being carried princess-style.
Was she being mistaken for a princess?
Patunasankus was speechless. She hadn't yet decided how to eliminate these people in a dignified yet efficient manner; the only thing the evil dragon was reluctant to do was get blood splattered all over her face.
"Lord Loranhir, we must leave quickly, while that cursed evil dragon Patunasankus is still away from her nest," an adventurer dressed as an attendant suddenly said to the girl carrying Patunasankus.
"It's just an evil dragon, would Lord Loranhir really be afraid? This dragon is merely lucky. If it encountered my lord, it would only face death," another attendant sneered. "If you ask me, we should ambush the dragon here. With my lord's strength, the dragon could be slain without even using the holy sword."
"Isn't that right, great Hero?"
Were intruders this bold nowadays?
Patunasankus's mouth twitched. She'd had enough of this troublesome ceremony and was calculating when to make her move to end this farce.
But before that, she had a question: what was that 'thump-thump-thump' sound that had been in her ear from the beginning?
Patunasankus followed the sound, looking to her left, her gaze finally settling on the girl called Loranhir.
The girl had delicate features, with facial lines that could even be described as stern.
Her pure white clothes were adorned with black trim, the chest decorated with a ribbon-style band, buttons replaced with silver medals. Her pink curly hair was tied back in a ponytail with a thin ribbon. With a high-bridged nose, she looked coldly gallant.
At her waist hung an exquisite light greatsword, presumably the so-called holy sword.
As Patunasankus's gaze joined the other two in falling upon the girl, the dull yet powerful heartbeat suddenly became several times louder, clearly audible. The heartbeats were as dense as war drums, growing increasingly urgent and heavy, making it hard to breathe.
Thump, thump-thump!
Thump-thump-thump!
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
"That sound... the legendary Heart of the Red Queen! Could it be that Lord Loranhir is already burning with battle spirit!?" the attendants exclaimed. "As expected of Lord Loranhir, already itching for action."
"They say no enemy has survived after hearing this sound."
The rapid heartbeat continued for quite a while before the hero Loranhir finally spoke, seemingly nonchalant. Her face, which had appeared gentle, suddenly took on a cold sternness.
"...If we stay, someone will die."
"Right now, the princess's safety is most important."
Patunasankus hesitated inwardly.
Was it her imagination?
Although she couldn't sense any obvious threatening aura, why did she feel that this hero called Loranhir gave off an impression of tremendous power?
Naturally cautious, Patunasankus thought for a moment and decided to observe for now.
It cost nothing to be a little credulous.
The evil dragon retracted her claws.
○
Who could understand this situation?
Loranhir wanted to cry.
God, please spare her.
She was just an ordinary villager from a border region. Apart from her innately icy appearance and her incredibly small courage, she had nothing special.
Illiterate with little education, she had no talent for pursuing any extraordinary paths. As a villager, her greatest ambition in life was to save up a little money and live out her days peacefully.
Who would have thought that out of simple curiosity, she attended a ceremony to select a hero with a holy sword, and somehow managed to pull out that fire poker that had been stuck in stone and immovable for ages.
Everyone else said things like "The promised hero has appeared!" "Look at that powerful presence, the strongest hero!"
It was absurd! She was just an ordinary person, probably not even capable of defeating a chicken at the village entrance.
Why was this happening!?
Loranhir truly couldn't understand.
And what was this "Heart of the Red Queen" nonsense?
She thought the title was ridiculous. It was simply that her courage was dozens of times smaller than others', making her easily nervous and anxious, forcing her to maintain a stiff face to pretend.
As long as the holy sword was unsheathed, everything would be fine.
Loranhir always consoled herself this way.
But she had never been able to draw this so-called holy sword!
It was just a glorified fire poker, only good for scaring minor characters while hanging at her waist.
What kind of hero was this?!
Despite how absurd the whole thing was, the kingdom insisted on calling her a hero and claimed she was the kingdom's hope. She tried to clarify, but no one believed her; everyone thought she was just being modest.
If she could have gotten away with the deception, that would have been fine, but two blockheads appeared from nowhere, insisting on taking her to rescue some princess. Loranhir's heart sank, and she treated each forced day of her journey as if it were her last.
Fortunately, somehow, all the monster servants of this lair had disappeared, and even the vicious evil dragon Patunasankus was nowhere to be found.
That was close, so close, what luck.
Who would want to fight this evil dragon anyway!
Loranhir heard the attendant's suggestion and nearly died of nervousness. That was an evil dragon, after all! When she learned they were going to the dragon's lair to rescue the princess, she had countless nightmares of being devoured by dragon fire.
Loranhir held the princess, her heart pounding, still not completely calmed down. Only the soft, sweet princess in her arms could barely provide her a bit of comfort.
She lowered her head, and Princess Latifa's face appeared before her eyes.
The rounded forehead, long eyelashes, azure eyes, swan-like neck, distinct collarbone, delicate warm skin, soft frame...
Such a lovely, fragile princess.
Loranhir thought.
Having been imprisoned in the evil dragon's lair, surely she must have spent countless frightening nights alone, suffering immeasurable hardships?
"It's alright now. It's all over."
Loranhir tried to comfort the princess, but was met only with Patunasankus's bewildered blinking. Her calm demeanor only confirmed the hero's suspicion that the princess had become emotionally numb from prolonged captivity.
Truly, the evil dragon was extremely cruel to treat a princess so brutally!
Loranhir wished she really was the invincible hero her attendants described. Then she could be like the heroes in true legends, raising her holy sword high to slay the evil dragon.
Unfortunately, she was just a coward who could do nothing but tremble in fear with her heart pounding wildly. If she actually had the chance to face an evil dragon, she would probably faint on the spot!
...Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully she didn't have to actually confront the terrifying dragon. Without even seeing it once, she had easily rescued the princess from the depths of evil.
It was truly a blessing in disguise. She had thought she would die here.
Loranhir carried Patunasankus out of the lair, enjoying the sensation of the gentle breeze caressing her cheeks, clearly feeling the sky was closer now.
But...
She had rescued the princess, and that was enough!